The Recipes
Earth Scrub CleanserSoft scrubbing cleanser that is good for sinks, tubs, even for pots and pans. Works quite well for ceramic cooktops, too. This is one of my favorite recipes! Very effective.
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Put it in a squirt bottle--dish detergent or ketchup bottles work very well. Also nice to keep in a jar next to your sink to dip your brush or sponge into. |
Earth Shaker CleanserUse like you would a powder cleanser. I like to sprinkle some in the toilet and let it set for a while, then just swish with a toilet brush and flush.
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Store in a shaker container--grated cheese containers work perfectly for this! |
Wonder SprayUse as you would any other all-purpose cleaner. Spray and wipe. Or pour a cup in a bucket of water to use on floors.
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Lavish Laundry Soap
Use 1/2 cup per load in your washer. This recipe make enough for 320 loads! For stained or heavily sailed clothes, I add a little more soap, and then maybe 1/2 cup washing soda or borax as a booster. |
Stir the soap to break up the gel. Fill clean container half-full with soap, and then fill the rest of the way with water. |
Fabric Softener Substitute
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Add 1 Cup White Vinegar to the rinse cycle. This is especially wonderful for towels and sheets! It really eliminates soap build up, and gives you wonderfully soft and absorbent towels and sheets.
I must confess that I still use commercial fabric softener for clothes that are prone to static cling. But I use nowhere near the amount recommended on the bottle! I fill a bottle with about 1 part softener to 10 parts of water, and use that to fill my dispenser. Works just fine. |
Removing Stains
You can use your handy-dandy bar of Fels Naptha soap to pre-treat any stains. Or grab a 16-ounce spray bottle and whip up this recipe for a spray stain remover |
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Glass Gleam
The magic ingredient is the sodium citrate in the club soda, which softens the water and helps to clean. Dish detergent is a surfactant that breaks up the surface tension on really dirty windows. |
I have occasionally made this with all club soda, and it works pretty well, with the added benefit that you can spray it on your houseplants to clean the leaves. The plants love it! (Don't spray your houseplants with vinegar, though--unless you want to kill them!) |
Foaming Carpet Cleaner
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Toilet Bowl Cleaner
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Foaming Drain Cleaner
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Dust to Dust Furniture Cleaner
Not a polish, but it does facilitate dusting. |
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Bug Be Gone Spray
For ants, dip cotton balls in peppermint oil and rub where you don't want the ants to come in. |
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